Friday Favorites

Hi all...happy Friday! I'm popping by for a quick Friday Favorites post. Thank you Heather, Katie, and Clare for hosting Friday linkups!! Be sure to check out their blogs and the other links to see what people are up to this Friday.

#1-Our yard is really coming along.  The most progress is in the back.  When we first moved in, this is what it looked like...apparently no one had taken care of it in at least 2 months.  Yikes!

Just mowing made a HUGE difference!!

Wednesday night, I spent 2 hours cleaning up the tree that was consuming our little shed.  So many dead limbs and branches!!  Thank goodness for our kind neighbors who lent me their tree trimmers.  I was literally standing on the shed to get the job done.  ***I know-not safe or smart, but it worked!  Luckily the fiance was not home to tell me not to do dangerous things.  :)



The big piles of limbs will be removed tonight.  I needed a break before volleyball, so I left it.

Lots more work left to do, but it is coming along!  It already looks a million times better.  Thank goodness I love being outside and putting in the work!


#2-We made the Sweet 'n Spicy Asian Glazed Drumsticks from SkinnyTaste on Monday.  So easy and soooo good!  I will definitely be making them again.  Quick and delicious week night meal!

Pic from SkinnyTaste.com.  We were too busy eating to take a pic. :)

#3-I've been spending a little (okay, a lot) of time on Pinterest lately.  Here are my top 5 pins of the week:

1. This little turquoise island-I definitely need it! 

   

   This would look great in my kitchen!

2. This cute and casual outfit-

   

   I love the top and skinny jeans...plus wedges are so comfy!  Not so sure about the accessories.

3. This super fun party idea.  Who doesn't love baked/mashed potatoes??

   

   Holy toppings!

4. Lager vs Stout-I am a fan of darker beers, so this made me very happy and surprised!

   

   Yay for Stouts!

5. This cute housewarming gift idea.  A bucket with lots of handy things for a new home owner-I actually saw several of these.  They include duck tape, locks, flash light, soap, WD-40, extension cords, goo gone...you get the idea.

Such a fun idea...definitely need to do this for friends!

#4-Delicious salads at lunch.  Fresh strawberries and avocado makes this chicken salad one of my faves!!
 

#5-It's 4th of July weekend!!  Happy birthday America!  You didn't think I would do a Friday Favorites post without mentioning one of my favorite holidays...

Here are some fun facts from census.gov.

2.5 million-In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. (Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheUnitedStates1789-1945.pdf)

318.4 million-The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth. (Source: U.S. and World Population Clock https://www.census.gov/popclock/)

$203.6 million-The value of fireworks imported from China in 2013, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($213.8 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $10.2 million in 2013, with Israel purchasing more than any other country ($2.7 million). (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Code 360410 https://usatrade.census.gov/)

I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!!!  How will you be celebrating?